In Pictures: 2012 Tech industry graveyard

The Stop Online Privacy Act was a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (Rep.-Texas) in the fall of 2011, but yanked by Smith in January of 2012 in the face of major opposition, including from highly-trafficked websites such as Reddit and Wikipedia, which blacked out their sites on Jan. 18 to protest the legislation. Proponents say SOPA would protect intellectual property rights, but opponents argued it would limit free speech, invade privacy and stymie creativity.

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